by Livia Quinn
She chose not to distract Freddie by calling out to him while things were going so well. Instead she went to her room and carefully undressed, slipping on a thigh length shift then walked down a level and out onto the back porch. River had suggested extending the rear porch and Tempe had agreed. She loved being able to sit outside no matter the weather, since she was immune to its effects. Or she had been, before today.
She shivered, crossing her arms over her chest. Light flurries drifted down from gray skies. Would the thick clouds obscuring the eclipse diminish the effects of the Para-moon? She could only hope. She waited until Freddie saw her and walked in the direction of the rental crane. Freddie cut the engine back so he could hear and directed his helper not to move, in no-nonsense tone. The worker nodded his head and obeyed.
“Ms. Tempe. Now, I need you to step back out of the way so you won’t get hurt. In another five minutes we’ll have this baby in and you can watch the picture postcard the snow and the full moon are going to make of your backyard through that new window. When I saw the weather moving in and thought about the mess I’d made of your living room wall, I called Dave here and borrowed a crane from Max Rutledge for a few hours. He said to tell you, ‘No charge’.”
Tempe just nodded at the stranger in front of her. She’d recently laid down the law after his continual screw-ups, denying him access to any projects unless she or River were in charge. But here he was, confident, vocal, capable—was the old Freddie gone for good? “Can I do anything to help?” She shivered again. She’d learned a lot in the remodeling process and could wield a hammer or use a nail gun with the best of ‘em.
Freddie shook his head. “Don’t bother that pretty—Tempe, what happened to your hair? It’s… I mean, it’s not red anymore. I probably shouldn’t have mentioned it. We’ll just go to back to work so we can get this equipment back to Max.”
“Thank you, Freddie. I mean it. River would be proud.”
He nodded curtly and reached for the controls. Tempe watched the men as the huge window went seamlessly into place. Freddie was right. She’d missed that view from her living room of the slope down to the Forge. But she couldn’t see herself enjoying the view of the Para-moon tonight, knowing what was to come.
Tempe stepped off the porch. An older model Ford truck rumbled to a stop beside the house and Jordie got out of the passenger side. Shy, the son of one of Tempe’s customers, and the star of the boy’s basketball team turned the engine off and joined her.
The first time Tempe had met Shy, he’d come out to take the mail from her in his mother’s fuzzy bathrobe and her pink slip-ons. Jarell said a “real man” could wear pink slippers, especially if they were his mama’s. After she’d surprised him by knowing his statistics as the team’s best shooter, he’d made it a point whenever he was home to fill her in on the team’s current news.
Jarell Johnson was a 4.0 student who enthused about his teacher’s strategies as if he was hoping take her place someday. Tempe hadn’t realized he was Jordie’s friend but it made sense, since Jordie was the top player for the girl’s team and an honor student as well.
“Hi, Tempe,” Jordie waved and hurried to Tempe, hugging her a bit longer than usual. “Did you…uh… have fun at the ball last night?” Jordie asked nervously. “Daddy said he took all my advice, but I wanted to hear it from you.” She turned to Shy. “Do you know Jarell?”
Tempe nodded at Jarell, “Shy and I are old friends.” She turned back to Jordie, whose smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Your dad was the ideal Prince Charming—limo, fancy tux…” she trailed off, not sure if she should mention G’s arrival.
Jordie glanced at Jarell. He said, “If y’all don’t mind, I’m going to wander down to the bayou.” A true Louisianian, he pronounced it ‘bah’. He studied Tempe a second too long and said, “Ms. Tempe, you look cold. Why don’t you take my jacket while I check out the fishing.” He took it off and tossed it to her, the warmth of it nearly making her groan.
She thanked him and said, “I think there’s a pole leaning up against the side of the house and there are some jigs in the bait box right there by it.” Pretty frosty for a fish to bite, but Shy knew that, so this was about giving Tempe and Jordie time to talk.
“Allriiight,” the boy grinned and headed in the direction Tempe pointed. “Y’all take your time.”
Tempe smiled at Jordie, “Guess he likes to fish. Now what brings you by to see me?”
Chapter 24
Jordie watched the window replacement process for a minute as if she were contemplating taking up contracting. Finally she said, “I heard you met…” her voice hitched. Apparently, neither father nor daughter was inclined to actually name the mother. So Tempe made it easy for her.
“I did. She seemed,” hmm, what to say…
“Crazy? Overbearing… slutty? Yeah,” Jordie exhaled, “don’t worry about hurting my feelings. I hate her. Hate. Her.” Her voice trembled and she blinked rapidly, turning to watch Jarell walk, pole in hand, toward the swamp.
“He’s a great guy.” She inhaled unevenly and turned back to Tempe. “We were at basketball practice, and I wanted to talk to you, so Jarell offered to give me a lift. I promised Daddy I’d have him or Andy with me at least if I went anywhere. He’s terrified that she’ll come back and kidnap me, or something. Like that would be possible. I wouldn’t have even answered the door, if I’d been him.”
Tempe said, “He didn’t know who it was, Sweetie. He was worried you might have forgotten your key.”
Jordie looked down the yard toward the swamp to where Jarell had dragged up a five-gallon bucket and was poking around in the bait box for the perfect bait. “He’s not going to catch anything you know,” Tempe said trying to lighten the moment, but Jordie was somewhere else.
“I know you understand since you and your mom had issues, Tempe, but she wasn’t a liar and a thief. My… mother…” She said it with so much vehemence, Tempe thought. “She was never ever there for me. My dad has always been it, totally, mother and father. He was gone a lot but he called, wrote letters, and even managed to get home a couple of times during his tour for special functions like my third grade matriculation. I was in a talent contest that night. My teachers were all in on his surprise. When my performance was over, they announced someone was there to give me my second place ribbon. It was Daddy.”
With a tremulous smile she said, “He’s the best.” She wiped at her eyes and said, “That’s why I cut him so much slack. He’s been through a lot.” Her eyes suddenly were seeing into the past again.
“G is a worthless human being. She had actually been in town for six whole months during that time so I was staying with her, not Granddad and Grandma. When we got home from the school that night she was gone. She’d cleaned out the closet, the bank account, even my little savings account in my piggy bank. She left the pieces of my piggy on the floor as if to say, “Screw you, little girl.” Her shoulders dropped and she exhaled with too much fatalism for a teenager. Tempe recognized the emotion.
“What did your father do?” She could only imagine how Jack had reacted.
“Daddy took a month’s leave. It took an Act of Congress with his superior,s but because there wasn’t a big offensive going on overseas, he worked it out. After that, I stayed with my grandparents when he wasn’t home.”
Tempe frowned, “Where was G?”
“That time she stayed gone almost two years. It was great. Like being a normal kid, ‘ya know? Except I missed my dad.” Tempe had never had a chance to be a normal kid but she understood. She’d missed Dutch desperately.
“I’d just started to think she wasn’t coming back when up she popped again, looking completely different—the blonde, green contacts, poured into her clothes. It was embarrassing. She kept making a show at being the TV show ‘mom’ but she stunk at it. My friends just thought she was weird, and when we were alone… I was afraid of her. There’s something wrong with her.”
“What happened?”
; “My grandparents went on a cruise after she’d been around for a few months and seemed like she was settled. As soon as they left, she took everything she could and split, again. I was by myself for three days until the Navy guy could get in touch with Daddy. He and my grandparents were all there within two days. You know how you know it’s not your fault but you feel guilty anyway?”
“I do,” Tempe said, rubbing Jordie’s shoulder.
“That’s when Daddy hired the private investigator and my grandparents became my temporary guardians until he got out of the service. I don’t know what the investigator found out but one day, Daddy showed up and he was shooting daggers. He said, he’d hired a lawyer and was taking her to court for full custody. He promised never to leave me again. And he didn’t.” Jordie’s eyes were sad. “He loved flying—”
Tempe pulled the teenager in for a hug, “He loves you the most, Jordie. It’s obvious to everybody who his number one priority is.” It was the reason the whole finding-out-your-little-ordinary-town-is-a-freak-show thing was so hard to take. “And that’s how it should be. The burden shouldn’t be on the kid.” Huh. Someone had told her that recently hadn’t they?
“So that’s when your dad went to work for the Memphis Police department?”
“Yeah, you think Destiny’s odd…” She frowned. “You look really cold, Tempe. Do you want to go inside?”
Tempe shook her head, gritting her teeth to keep them from chattering. She wanted to hear the rest of this. “Were they divorced then?”
“Yes. Actually, Daddy got an annulment, full custody, and after he won the election in Destiny, we figured we’d never see her again. I wish you could get an annulment from a parent.” Tempe had felt like that once upon a time.
She turned toward the house to see how the work was going. The window was in and Freddie and the other guy were on either side of it on ladders securing it and putting up the trim. She couldn’t help but be impressed.
“I was wondering,” Jordie’s quiet voice drew Tempe’s attention back to the teen. “Do you think I’ll end up… I mean, do you think I’m going to be… crazy, like her?”
“Ze—shootfire, Jordie, what kind of question is that?” Tempe asked.
“Well, you know how illness runs in families and with my mother being, well, you know… the way she is… I just thought, maybe it’s hereditary.”
“Not going to happen, Sweetheart.”
Who was she to talk about family history? She thought about Phoebe and Dutch.
“All I can tell you is what I see—a beautiful, smart, intelligent young woman,” who deserved better than she got in the motherhood department. “Normal in every way.” Except for the deremelei, but we’re not going there right now.
“Someone reminded me recently that families can offer some of the most challenging moments of our lives. Just because we’re related by blood doesn’t make the relationships work the way they do in the movies, or the way we expect.” Taking one of Jordie’s long fingered hands in hers, she said, “We can’t pick our families. All we can do is supplement our lives with friends who provide what we’re missing. They become family. That’s what the SOAPS are to me, my sisters in every way but blood. They’ve mentioned including you in their ranks.” Jordie smiled.
“And don’t forget the biggie, you are the female spitting image of Jack Lang. Try not to be as hardheaded.”
Jordie smiled. “He is that.”
Tempe said, “So, absolutely, positively no. Get that thought right out of your head. You’ve never shown any signs of being strange, mean, or irresponsible.”
Jordie nodded but there was something on her mind still. “You…”
Tempe waited patiently, fighting a shiver. Jordie asked, “You’re not going to go away, are you? I mean you wouldn’t stop seeing Daddy, stop being my friend because of her, would you?”
“Aww, baby, not on your life.” Her question warmed Tempe. It was just what she needed. First the father had put voice to his feelings, and now his daughter. “I love you, Jordie. I couldn’t want a little sister or friend to be any cooler than you.”
Tears of relief spilled down Jordie’s cheeks as she relaxed. “Thanks, Tempe. I love you, too.”
Tempe hugged her and stroked her hair. “Why don’t you go check on Shy, and I’ll go get a jacket.”
Freddie walked up to Tempe, “All done. The sky’s getting darker. I’m going to get this machine back to Max and take Tommy home.” His brows furrowed, “Are you sure you’re feeling okay, Tempe?”
“Just a little chilled, Freddie, and kinda tired. It’s been a busy two weeks.”
“I’ll say.” What happened to Youbetcha! Tempe wondered.
“Thanks, again, Fred.”
“It was the least I could do after breaking the other two, and you don’t have to worry about this one. It’s paid for.” He held up his hand, “It’s only right. Now, you just go on up to the living room and enjoy that view. Call me if you need anything.” He slapped his gloves down in his palm and said, “Dave, load up.”
Tempe stared. Who was that man, and what did he do with my Freddie?
Chapter 25
Jack received the text from Montana. It conveyed enough urgency that he went directly from the gym to her house. He’d stopped by the gym to find Jordie working out her frustrations on the practice squad. Her friend, Jarell, had promised to stay close to her so he headed to Montana’s.
He wanted to talk to the Dark Knight. He figured after what he’d seen earlier, the intensity in Flambé’s expression, wherever Montana was, he’d find the warrior. There was something going on between them, or there would be if the Knight had his way. Montana’s reaction at the ball proved she hadn’t known what Flambé was before then, but they’d met in their supernatural forms, he’d bet on it—at the Bentsons’ Saturday morning. The clues told him everything he needed to know.
Jack didn’t care about the lady’s missing abuser, or who had been responsible. He’d become imminently practical in the last few days. All he wanted to know was who was going to be on his side when all Chaos broke out. If Conor really was a forty-foot tall fire-breathing dragon, Jack wanted to recruit him for his team. He didn’t know if that would be necessary, and if it was, he didn’t have a clue what he could offer to gain the dragon’s support.
He drove into Montana’s yard. The snow covered grass looked as if something really large had wallowed around on it and there was no sign of any thing crawling away. Uh-huh. Jack got out and did a 360, searching for signs of a large scaly creature.
Montana walked toward him. She looked different. If he had to name it, he would probably say—radiant. Female. That wasn’t it, she’d always looked female, just more of one than most, probably part of what made her Dinnshencha intimidating. But she’d said her powers were about gone, was this the vampire side? Had it gotten stronger? He willed himself not to step back as she approached, and smiled. Yep, radiant, glowing, and if anything, more confident.
“You rang?” He went for humor in case she was feeling a bit edgy. She didn’t look edgy. She looked relaxed. If he didn’t know bet—ah, that’s what it was. She looked like a woman who had recently been, well… he settled on satisfied. Feeling the hairs rise between his shoulder blades, he searched the tree line once again. He found Montana’s sword standing against a big stump near the edge of the woods.
The ground suddenly rocked under his feet and her sword toppled. Jack heard tree limbs breaking and a thunderous boom. He searched the sky, which was blacked out. He gulped, getting ready to run but the dragon’s foot came down, brushing Jack’s shoulder with its claws. A second massive appendage set down gently in comparison, and Jack backed away as he studied the black scales in front of him. His gaze traveled up, past the fiery red-rimmed belly, over powerful haunches, to wings that matched the creature’s height.
It—he—stood patiently, looking down at Jack while he examined the powerful chest, the long thick neck and horned head. The scales that covered every sq
uare inch were like overlapping odd-shaped discs in an intricate pattern of red-trimmed ebony.
Jack looked into intelligent orange eyes, and watched as the nostrils flared and jaws opened. He should be afraid. That would have been smarter than his immediate reaction—awe. There was humor in the dragon’s eyes as Jack put his hand out tentatively to touch one of the scales.
Three things happened at once: those giant talons dug into the grass in front of Jack, the massive wings lifted out and up, dragged the air out from under and around him like the intake on an F-18. He ducked. Then with a whump, they descended sharply, the claws rolling up like wheels under an airplane belly as several tons of dragon lifted into the air. The wings reached from one side of the wide clearing into the trees on the other.
Jack knew well the theory of flight, having studied aeronautics in the Navy. He understood the principles of thrust, drag, lift and weight when it came to aircraft. Was dragon flight the same?
He looked up at the belly of the massive beast, but it was too dark to make out details. It had obscured the sky like some great Battle star from an enemy galaxy. Righteous! As it rose and his vision adjusted he looked more closely at the scales on the underside of its body. They were shiny, and thicker than the ones he’d seen on the upper side of the legs and wings, the edges reflecting like mirrors. Like a stealth fighter, they probably made him invisible from below.
As he rose to get closer before the dragon took off, he realized it was virtually floating above him, pulsating on some magical current, or maybe it had some way of creating gas on the inside so it could float like a dirigible. He was transfixed, wanting to know everything about this flying miracle of magic or nature. He couldn’t remember feeling compelled like this since he’d first been fascinated with flying.
It didn’t look like the dragon was planning on going anywhere, just putting on an exhibition. That being the case, he should get out of the way before it landed and crushed him. Jack’s lip quirked up in a smile. You have a helluva BIG BAD persona, Flambé. Things were looking up. He looked over at Montana and grinned,“Put a leash on that sucker and call him mine.”
